camping, kids, bears, MT first impressions, bug kill? (Missoula, Bozeman: how much, home)

[bluebird39]

Hi there,

I finally got a chance to visit a small part of Montana this summer for the first time. We moved from S Oregon to upper Michigan 2 years ago, and hope to move back out West in the next year or 2. MT was high on the list, but after visiting, I'm not so sure. We did some camping in and around Yellowstone, and frankly, it was a PITA with the bears, as I am primary chef and child tender. We actually DID see our first ever griz bear, as well as other bears. In Oregon, it was't too much of an issue, but the dilligence required in griz country was not fun. Is it like that in most of MT? We love to camp, but in a cloth tent, I felt pretty vulnerable, expecially with kids.

I was also shocked at how much beetle kill there is. That place looks like a tinderbox! Is it that bad over most of the state? We came in through N Idaho to Missoula, and then down through Yellowstone.

I must also admit that it was a bit of a let down too. After reading how incredibly beautiful that place is, I was expecting more, I guess. I liked Bozeman the best, and of couse going into Yellowstone from the North was great. Missoula was high on my "list", but I didn't like it much at all. Butte and Bozeman were nice, IMO.

Yellowstone was also beautiful, but so incredibly crowded, even in June in the middle of the week, that we got out of there almost as fast as we came in. It was more of a funny-people watching trip than anything, but still very cool.

I wish we'd been able to see Kalispell and Glacier. Maybe next time. I'd say MT is still high on my list, but not quite what I pictured.

[jimj]

Having never been to yellowstone all I can go by is what some friends told me a couple of weeks ago. They came by after going to Sturgis and we went to Glacier. They told me that Yellowstone gets a C- compared to Glacier.
As for tent camping, I know what you mean about feeling a little vulnerable but I don't think I've heard of any real issues in quite a while around here at least. As long as you take heed of the food/garbage requirements there shouldn't be a problem.

[bigtrees]

Originally Posted by bluebird39

I was also shocked at how much beetle kill there is. That place looks like a tinderbox! Is it that bad over most of the state? We came in through N Idaho to Missoula, and then down through Yellowstone.

The beetle kill is quite an interesting story. Bark beetles and lodgepole pine are in a symbiotic relationship that is very unusual.

The general problem for lodgepole pine is they are not a mature species. The seeds sprout readily after a catastrophic event but after 30 - 50 years they become overtaken by other species like Ponderosa Pine and Douglas-Fir. In a natural forest the lodgepole pine die out and are non-existant.

However, at some point the density of lodgepole pine gets very high and the bark beetle population explodes. It kills off the lodgepole pine by eating the cambium layer of the tree. A few years later, the fuel load of the forest increases dramatically, and a wildfire breaks out. The fire kills all of the mature species (Douglas-Fir and Ponderosa Pine) and creates an enviroment ripe for more - you guessed it - lodgepole pine.

So yes, bark beetles are part of Montana and are the reason why our forest species mix looks the way that is does. It makes for specatacular wildfires on occasion but also is necessary to keep our species mix in balance.

[bluebird39]

Hi there,

Thanks for the reply. I guess that was one thing that surprised me. Having never really been beyond the West Coast and inner high dessert in the West, I guess I didn't realize how different the trees were. My husband is a forester, and fights fire during the summer, so he's seen and traveled the West extensivly, but I've always stayed home with the kids. I was expecting more Poderosa Pine, like we have in Eastern Oregon. I do however, miss the Western culture. There's plenty of good things about the mid-west, where we are now, but I miss the plentiful public land, the culture, and the mountains.

One place we drove through that really knocked our socks off was the Big Horn Mountains in WY. IMO, it was better than Yellowstone. We left through the East part of the park after getting frustrated with all of the people. Northern WY was spectacular! I'm sure if we had gotten off the main highway in MT we would have found the same thing though.

Unfortunately, a death in the family this summer may radically change our next move location and push it quite a bit South. Having grown up in the deep South, I don't think I could handle anything further than CO though.

Thanks again. As I said, Bozeman had a really nice feel to it... much smaller than Missoula, but a bit pricy from what I understand.

[Joe Doer]

Originally Posted by bluebird39

We left through the East part of the park after getting frustrated with all of the people.

The beauty of Yellowstone park can only be realized during the fall or during the winter. It is such a popular place, tourists come from all over the world to see it. In the fall the crowds dwindle and the park is the most beautiful. In the winter, snowmobilers love it for a place they go for hundreds of miles of groomed trails.

I don't think Glacier gets quite the number of visitors because it is a bit out of the way for a lot of people. I would not even want to join in a debate as to which is nicer. That would be like comparing the two most gorgeous models in the world as to which is better.